Aah Chapter 9! I can't believe it! Okay soooooo, Emma and Regina shall meet this chapter and we shall see how that first meeting goes :)
Henry has some revelations about something he read not so long ago...hm...and get ready for the return of Rumple in the next chapter, he's a tricky little imp!
Please review and let us know if you're still enjoying our story :D
Regina awoke slowly that morning, her dark hair hung limply across her face. She scrunched her face in disgust as she realized that she hadn't showered since her son had disappeared. Her son…Henry…
"Henry?" her first instinct was to bolt upright in bed but she was stopped by a slight weight on her chest, her nose scrunched as unruly strands tickled in response to her calmer breaths. She revelled in the feel of his small body tucked up against her own, it had only been 2 days of not having him near her but to a mother it seemed like an eternity. She wanted to remain here with him and just shut the rest of the world out, no one mattered but the boy in her arms and she just couldn't bring herself to let him go.
He stirred slightly as he felt her fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck, it tickled but it was also comforting and he welcomed her affections after being without her. Slowly he lifted his head and met her warm brown gaze, "hey."
"Hey," she replied softly, he was smiling up at her and it was all she could do not the grip him in a bone crushing hug. Love was coursing through every inch of her as she took Henry in as if she was only just seeing him for the first time. The moment was broken however when a rumbling sound filled the room. Regina laughed at the embarrassment on her son's face, "someone hungry?"
He laughed sheepishly as he nodded his head at her, "yeah, sorry Mom."
"Let's go get you fed my darling boy."
After breakfast Regina sat with her legs folded beneath her on the sofa, her hand trailed through Henry's hair as she was content to simply watch him as he fidgeted with his fingers in his lap and finally allowed himself to process everything that had happened in the last few days. It seemed surreal now to think that he had actually ran away to Boston in order to find the woman who birthed him and had brought her back here with him.
"She's nice…"
"Hmm?" Regina hadn't caught his sentence; she was too lost in her own thoughts of relief that he was home yet trepidation that he could run again at any given moment. Her bubble of safety had been shattered and it would take more than just a few hours with him to rebuild it.
He looked nervous as his eyes met his mother's, he didn't want to upset her but he needed answers now. He'd had some from Emma but she had sugar-coated the tiny bit of information that she had given him, it was Regina's turn now.
"Emma…she's nice"
She fought hard to keep her feelings from reaching her face, her stomach clenched upon hearing his words as her lungs expelled the air inside them as if she had been winded, that would have been less painful. The brunette didn't respond to his statement, she knew it was his way of working up to what he really wanted to talk about.
He shifted in his seat to face her more full on and stopped the hand stroking through his hair, he knew that, in a way, it was something of a coping method for Regina, a reassurance that he was actually sitting there in front of her and it pained him to see the full extent of what his absence had done to her. She was looking at her but he knew her mind was someone else; she had always been good at controlling her features but never her eyes. They truly were the window to her soul and Henry had always referred to them as patchwork eyes due to the sheer amount of emotions he could see knitted together inside creating the map for her soul.
"So…I'm adopted huh?"
Her gut churned as he finally brought forward what he truly wanted to discuss and now was the time for honesty, she wanted to throw her walls up around her heart in order to soften the blow when he told her he wanted to leave again but she couldn't, she could never when it came to Henry.
"Yes sweetheart, you are…"
"Why didn't you tell me?" his tone wasn't accusatory nor was it angry, it was simply curious. His gaze didn't falter from the watery gaze before him but his little hand moved to the one resting on her knee in instinctual comfort for his mother.
She didn't really know why she had never told him, the worry of his birth mother coming into the picture had never been something in her mind. "I…it was never something I thought about doing Henry," she could only be honest with him now, it wouldn't do any good to lie, "from the moment I got you I knew you were always meant to be mine…even if I didn't carry you" He nodded his understanding yet stayed quiet, a small encouragement for her to continue on. "Henry, you always have and always will be my little boy, my son, you know that right?" another nod. "When you disappeared I…I thought you weren't ever going to come back and that frightened me Henry…you are my world and you have been everything to me for the past ten years, I…I just don't know what I would do if I was to lose you."
Her voice had thickened with tears as her eyes fell to their hands resting in her lap, Henry was still only for a moment before he kneeled and wrapped his small arms around her shoulders. Instantly, her own arms wound around his waist as she pulled his little body tighter against her own. A sob wrenched its way from her throat as he pulled back only slightly to whisper in her ear.
"I'm not going anywhere Mom, I love you."
She wasn't sure how long they had been sat, wrapped up in each other before she felt him pull back and adopt his earlier look of apprehension, "what is it Henry?" Her brow was furrowed as she noticed the nervousness in her son's eyes as they darted between her own gaze and the candle sitting upon the coffee table just out of reach. He doesn't reply, just leans forward in his seat and pulls the wooden table towards his knees, confusion paints his mother's features as she watches the small boy place his forearms atop his upper thighs and lean towards the candle.
His features scrunch in concentration as he almost glares at the thing uttering one word over and over again in his mind, light.
She allows him a couple of minutes to do whatever it is he is trying to achieve by staring at the object before she places a palm on the small of his back, "what is it baby boy? What are you hoping to do?"
"Light it," his voice comes out tense as he strains to access the magic he is sure he possesses…otherwise, what was the whole point of the last two days?
Regina laughs nervously at his behaviour, she can't think what may of come over him…maybe he didn't get as much sleep as she thought last night, "Henry, no matter how long you look at it, I doubt it's going to light on its own."
Her arm reached forward to pick up her empty coffee mug and she began walking to the kitchen in order to clean up before her son spoke and she froze in place. Rotating slowly to look at him and work out whether he had actually said it, she spoke slowly and clearly, "what did you just say Henry?"
He looked at her with wide eyes and repeated his earlier statement, "I said that…you could just…use your magic," the latter part of the sentence was mumbled but she heard it as clearly as if he had just shouted it into her ear. Regina's heart beat wildly as she moved to sit down once again, the coffee mug place upon the table once again and forgotten about.
"Henry, why would you say such a thing, of course I can't do that, I don't have ma-"
"Please Mom, don't lie to me," his voice was small but the plea hidden inside was desperate, "I know that you have magic and…I know that I do too…" when she opened her mouth to speak he merely shook his head in the negative and continued on, "I know what happened to August and when I found out I was adopted" he noticed but ignored the shadow that crossed over her features choosing to speak more instead, "I wanted to know if my birth mother could do magic too because then I'd know where I got it from…"
He hung his head as Regina's eyes glazed over slightly, she couldn't process what her son was saying, how did he know she could do magic? Was he finally starting to listen to the rumours in town about her? Would he turn against her like the townsfolk had?
"But now…now I don't even think I do have it…I can't even light a candle!" he couldn't stop the tears of disappointment that fell from his eyes as his hands clenched into tiny fists with his frustration, he started slightly when a larger hand came to rest over his own and squeeze in comfort.
"Henry, it is not a curse being unable to perform magic…in fact it's a blessing," when he turned his red rimmed eyes up to focus on her, she smiled sympathetically, "all magic, no matter how small, comes with a price and that is something that I do not want you to have to worry about."
He notices the sadness in her eyes, it's the same kind that appeared right before she needed to take some time for herself…she's remembering her past…"is…is it true then? Can you…do magic?"
Her heart was beating wildly in her chest as she studied her son's face, she could see the hope there, the need for honesty shining bright within his watery gaze as he waited for her answer. With a deep breath she reached out for the previously forgotten candle and brought it to rest in front of her on the table. With one last look at her son and a calming breath, she focused completely on the wick of the candle, as the thoughts of fire and warmth flooded her mind, she blew air towards it. Please don't light, don't light.
"Woah!" came Henry's exclamation beside her as a bright flame flickered upon the candle wick; disappointment crushed her as she realized her magic was in fact back and as strong as always. "It really is true! I knew it!" He almost knocked the wind out of the brunette when he flung his little body at hers and hugged tightly. She couldn't help the tears that burst from her eyes at her son's joy in his new discovery, it wasn't right. "It's okay Mom, I love you…"
"Henry, baby, you know I love you too but this isn't okay," his brow furrowed as she pulled him back from the embrace in order to look him in the eye, "magic is dangerous Henry, you need to understand that okay?"
He nodded slightly but couldn't help the smile that crossed his face and was soon reflected in his mother's own face, "so, is it true? Did I really give August chicken pox?" his eyes were wide as he waited anxiously for her answer. With some trepidation she nodded, "oh my god! I knew it! I told Emma I could do magic but she didn't believe me…oh, wait till I tell her!"
Regina's heart stopped at this, "Henry, wh-what do you mean?"
He stopped mid bounce on the sofa and looked at her face, she looked terrified and he realized what she must be thinking, "no, I'm not leaving again Mom," he saw the way her body relaxed at that, "Emma's here."
"And you're sure this is where she'll be?" she looked into the rear-view mirror at Henry, worry flowing in waves throughout her, "Henry…if she's no-"
"She won't have left without saying goodbye Mom," Henry replied instantly, there was neither hope nor false belief in his statement, it was merely fact. Although he didn't know Emma very well, if at all, he knew she was at least a good person and would never leave like that. "So…I can't tell her that you can do magic?"
Regina shook her head in the negative, "No Henry, it would only complicate things further than they already are…"
He looked down to the hands in his lap shamefacedly; he'd never seen his mother so out of sorts and knowing he was the cause made him feel guilty. "I'm sorry."
The murmur was soft but she heard it all the same, "hey," she smiled gently when he met her eyes once again, they were so expressive, she could almost decipher every emotion that passed through them, "I love you forever," she revelled in the wideness of his grin and the colour beginning to stain his cheeks, "I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be."
He didn't have to respond, she knew it anyway. The small wink she gave made him giggle, he really did love her. He hoped that this meeting wouldn't be too much for her, he also worried about Emma's reaction…what would she say? She was awkward enough with his reappearance in his life, now throw in his adoptive mother? This would be interesting to say the least.
Steaming hot salvation in a cup, that's what Ruby had just given Emma, with a flirtatious wink as an extra of course. Emma had simply smirked and sauntered on over to an empty booth, she needed to wake up and get her head back in the game. She had become disorientated upon waking in a strange place before the previous couple of days returned to her. Her son was back in her life and spouting off stories about magic…in all honesty she was quite worried about him. How had he even managed to get away from his mother in order to find her? She had convinced herself that staying was her best option by the time she had dressed and made her way into the diner.
The town seemed friendly enough, she had received a few odd glances from customers and was about to check that she had in fact remembered to put pants on this morning when Ruby had explained that she was new in town and therefore the most exciting thing to have happened since Granny had installed soap dispensers in the restrooms. Her seat by the window allowed her to look out over Storybrooke, she had blanched when a red headed man walking a Dalmatian had caught her staring at him as he passed and instead of the expected response in which a person would normally flip her the bird, he smiled and waved…odd.
The smell inside the diner was incredible, a mixture of all that was good in the world. She was about to order the pancakes with a generous portion of bacon when the bell above the diner door sounded and time seemed to stop within the establishment. Cutlery that had previously been clinking against plates as patrons enjoyed their morning meal clattered against table tops, all conversation seemed to stop for some reason.
"Emma, you stayed!" she hadn't even had chance to look up from perusing the menu before a small body was pressed against her own, thin arms were locked around her neck in a vice like grip. She tensed initially, completely unsure of what she was supposed to do in this situation before her arms automatically circled his small frame. It was nice, strange and surreal, but nice.
"Uhm kid…" she whispered so as not to embarrass him, "I kinda can't breathe…"
He laughed as he pulled back from her, "sorry."
The diner was still silent though Henry didn't seem to notice anything wrong, as Emma looked at those closest to her; she found them to be looking in the same direction, the direction of the diner door. As their eyes met, her breath was stolen once again.
"Oh my God, Henry!" Ruby shrieked as she re-entered the main room with a food order left long forgotten on the counter top as she ran towards the small boy, she was completely unaware of the stare-off going on between Emma and Regina.
He laughed loudly as she scooped him up into a tight hug; his legs were left dangling in the air as she showed an impressive feat of strength and balance in her skyscraper heels.
"Gods you scared me pup!" he blushed at the nickname she had used for him ever since he was a child but he didn't pull away from her embrace, he knew that by now she would most likely have found out that he didn't in fact know that he was adopted.
He allowed a few more seconds before he moved out of her arms to indicate his want to be back on the ground. Before she let go fully though, he grabbed a hold of her wrist and looked her in the eye. "I'm sorry Ruby, I shouldn't have lied," her smile turned watery as she heard his meaning, her hand came up instantly to run through his brown locks.
"As long as you're safe Henry, that's all that matters to me and your Mom…speaking of, where is she?"
She wasn't aware of the waitress looking at her, she wasn't aware of the diners staring at her with the usual mix of suspicion and fear, she wasn't even aware of the heaviness of her breathing. She could only see the woman across the room from her, could only track her eyes over soft yet strong features, golden curls that tumbled down her back and over her shoulders. She wasn't even aware of the fact that her son had now taken her hand and pulled her back with him over to the table…until she was standing in front of the woman who had her so entranced.
"Emma Swan," Henry looked at his birth mother, completely unaware of the fact that she too had somehow become entranced with the brunette before her, mouth dry and palms sweating as fire rushed through her veins, "meet Regina Mills, my Mom," Regina, I didn't know perfection had a name…what the f-
"Regina Mills," his eyes were narrowing now as he finally caught on to the similar states of the women before him, "meet Emma Swan, my birth mother."
"What?!" came the shout from the tall brunette beside him, "you're Henry's birth mother?"
This seemed to allow Emma the distraction she needed to break away from the almost suffocating stare off she had going with Regina, she looked sheepishly to the woman now staring down hard at her, "uhm, yeah?"
"Oh, wow…" Ruby was dumbfounded; she had been flirting with the woman for god sakes! "I'm just gonna go uhm…"
Henry laughed as the waitress escaped the clearly awkward situation, as he watched her walk away he caught on to the stares still being sent his mother's way. "You got a problem?"
Regina's brown gaze snapped to the boy beside her, "Henry!" she chided, "don't be so rude."
"They started it," he simply shrugged as he lowered himself into the seat on the opposite side to Emma.
With her attention finally back in the present, Regina managed to compose herself enough to flash one of her trademark smiles at the woman before her, "I'd like to thank you for bringing my son home Miss Swan," her hand came out towards the blonde in an invitation to shake, Emma merely stared for a few seconds completely surprised by the sudden change in demeanour in the brunette and her voice? Well…that was just something else.
Get it together Swan, her hand came up to grasp Regina's, "you don't have to tha-" both gasped at the feeling that shot through them when their hands connected, their eyes locked as they both fell silent. What the hell?
"Here you go pup," Regina swiftly dropped Emma's hand as Ruby returned with a huge mug of hot cocoa complete with lashings of whipped cream and of course a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.
Henry's grin couldn't have been wider as he used a finger to scoop some of the confection into his mouth, "thanks Rubes."
Regina had since looked down to her son but Emma had continued studying her, she couldn't help the feeling of familiarity that coursed through her at the sight of the brunette yet she knew she had never met the woman before…it was a strange feeling to have. Pulling herself together, she attempted her earlier response once again, "what I meant to say was don't worry about me bringing the kid back," she deftly ignored Regina's wince at the name for Henry, "it was my pleasure meeting him but I…uhm, I guess I should get going."
Regina nodded sternly, still not meeting the blonde's eyes, they unnerved her and she didn't like it. "Yes, I think that's probably for the best," Ruby's eyes were wide as she took in the exchange, where was the soft Regina she knew and loved so much? Where had this clipped, stern looking woman come from?
"No, you can't go now!" Henry's cry caused a few of the previous diner's to begin staring openly once more; they were once again met with a glare from the boy and a chuckle from Ruby in response. "You only just got here!"
"Henry, I'm sure Miss Swan needs to return home to…" she realized she hadn't even asked Henry where it was that he had found her, she looked to the woman in question quickly before averted her gaze to her son once more, "wherever it is she came from," she hadn't meant it to come out as it had, she may as well have said 'whatever gutter she crawled out of', it would have been more direct in showing her apparent dislike for a woman she didn't know anything about.
"Mom, I just wanna spend a bit more time with her…" out came the puppy dog eyes but Regina was too incensed to allow them to affect her this time, she was frightened that if her son got to know Emma, he may want to leave with her…it was a stupid fear but for Regina, it was extremely real, she loved so deeply and couldn't imagine not having her son in her life.
"Henry, I'm sure Miss Swan-"
"Emma," the blonde had the gall to interrupt.
She looked pointedly at the woman before continuing, "Miss Swan, doesn't want to spend another afternoon traipsing around a strange town with a young boy,"
"Actually, I couldn't think of anything better to do," Henry's grin matched her own as Regina's jaw clenched, gone was the initial feelings of shock and trepidation, for some reason she really wanted to get under the brunette's skin, plus some extra time with Henry was a huge bonus.
Regina's hand tightened on Henry's shoulder as she locked eyes with the annoying blonde, "and what makes you think that I will allow you to spend time with my son?"
"Because I want to spend time with her…" came Henry's small voice from below her, as Emma's smile verged on a smirk, Regina's heart clenched, she couldn't lose her son to this woman, the same woman who had carelessly thrown him away like last night's trash so long ago.
Emma noticed the flash of pain within deep brown eyes and her smile faltered, this wasn't just about some complex Regina had with power…no, it was clearly more than that, she was scared, scared of what Emma's presence in Henry's life could do to her relationship with her son. "Look, I uh…I don't want to cause any trouble…"
Regina's head snapped up at the blonde's change in demeanour, her smirk had disappeared and was instead replaced with a softness the brunette had not seen since…well, for a long time.
"Can we have her over for breakfast?" Henry was practically bouncing beneath Regina's palm in his excitement, "Mom makes the best chocolate chip pancakes, no offense Ruby…"
Ruby grinned at the boy and looked towards Emma, "it's true, they're like mini orgasms in your mouth…"
"Ruby!" Regina's hands snapped over Henry's ears but the statement could not be unheard, the boy's brow furrowed as he tried to understand what Ruby had meant by that. As Regina's hands slipped down to his shoulders, her face red with embarrassment and anger, Henry turned in her grasp to look up at her.
"Mom, what's an orgasm?" Emma stifled a laugh as Ruby let out a giggle.
"Oh dear god" she shot a glare at her former best friend before looking down at her confused son once again, "it's nothing Henry, Ruby just meant to say that my pancakes are very nice," he nodded in understanding but she groaned as she saw him filing the word away for future questioning.
"So," he asked Emma with bright eyes, her smile from the previous slip up was still evident, "will you come?"
Green eyes darted between his own as she looked nervously at the woman above him, "it's really up to your mother Henry," she caught the softening in Regina's glare as she appreciated Emma's referral to her as Henry's mother.
The brunette smiled as Henry turned his focus back to her once again, "can she Mom? Pleaseeeeee?" his bottom lip came out expertly as she ran a hand through his hair; she couldn't help but laugh at the sight of him.
Looking once more to the sheepish looking blonde, she sighed deeply, "I suppose it couldn't hurt," she was jolted by the movement of the gleeful son beneath her but found herself taken into the expressive eyes of Henry's birth mother once again, a fluttering in her stomach forced her to look away and turn towards the diner door but not before addressing Ruby who was smiling at the exchange that had just taken place. "Can you call David and inform him of Henry's return please," Ruby nodded in the affirmative, "and don't think you're off the hook."
She smiled softly at her friend before moving to embrace her, if Emma was surprised by the softness evident in Regina when she wrapped her arms around Ruby, she didn't comment. She did, however, laugh at the yelp Ruby let out when Regina poked her in the ribs, a clear repercussion of the waitress' slip up in front of Henry.
Emma returned the wave from Ruby as she stepped into the morning air following behind her son and his mother. When the cars come into sight, Henry bolts towards the Mercedes as the two women continue to walk. Regina's swift turn to face the blonde is unexpected as Emma had been too busy allowing her eyes to drift somewhere south of the brunette's head. She just manages to stop herself before bumping into the woman. She gasps at the closeness when she looks up but neither makes to move away from it, "I expect you can follow directions?"
The blonde can hardly cope with the feeling of Regina's hot breath washing over her skin, or the scent of citrus and flowers that attacks her senses. Brown eyes are boring into her own as she works to make her brain work again, "don't worry," she finally manages, "I know where to find you…"
She can't stop the blush that forms at Emma's words, she knows she is talking about the drive over to the house but she can't help feeling that there was another meaning implied, this is almost confirmed at the smile playing at the thin pink lips just inches from her own. Shaking her head slightly in an attempt at regaining control, she merely smiles softly in return, "I'll see you back at the house then…"
Henry was talking excitedly about the things they could do today, his little brain was working overtime as Regina allowed herself the time to think also. What the hell was wrong with her? Whenever Emma had gotten too close or she had looked into those strangely captivating eyes, her brain had short-circuited. She couldn't think of anything to say, no responses came to her mind when Emma would speak, it wasn't like Regina to be left speechless, especially not at just the sight of someone. That had only happened once before, so many years before…
"Mom?" her eyes snapped up to the rear view mirror as she took in the concern on her son's face, "Mom, what's wrong?"
She furrowed her brow in answer until she felt the warm liquid trailing down her cheek, she had been crying and hadn't even noticed. It had been quite a while since she had thought about Daniel but the feelings the blonde had brought out of her with a simple look were reminiscent of those days, the days she lay awake some nights yearning to have again but without Rumplestiltskin's curse she wouldn't have made it to this world and gotten Henry…what didn't help was that without Emma Swan, she also wouldn't have gotten her son…it was so confusing and she felt just like that teenage girl once again.
"Is it because I brought Emma here?" his voice was small as he watched her wipe furiously at the rogue tear that had managed to escape, he'd never seen him mother cry and it unnerved him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, I just…I just want to get to know her…"
"Hey, don't you dare apologize for that Henry," she alternated her focus from the road to his face in the mirror, "don't apologize for wanting to know who you are Henry, I'm okay," he didn't look convinced but he knew not to push, "it's just a lot to get used to honey."
Emma's car wasn't far behind when they pulled up to the cottage, Regina's safe haven and now she was going to see just how safe she could feel within it. Henry was the first out, though not before he leaned forward to plant a small kiss on her cheek, "love you Mom," she inhaled a shaky breath as he climbed out and went to greet Emma once more. She could do this, she could get through one day with the woman and then she would be gone from their lives once more…strange that she didn't feel particularly happy about that.
Once inside the house, Regina instantly moves towards the kitchen with Henry and a rather awkward looking Emma Swan in tow. She had only seen the entrance and living room of the cottage when she had dropped Henry so she couldn't help but smile at the overall cosiness of the place, it really did feel like home. A pang of jealousy hit her at memories of hoping that one day, someone would adopt her, take her away from the hell of being a foster child that no one wanted and give her a proper home, somewhere she could grow up and return years later just to reminisce about the good times…it had never happened. She was beyond happy though for her son, this was the type of thing she had imagined when she had made the decision to let him go, to allow him to have the life she could never provide him with.
"Can you make pancakes Em?" she smiled slightly at the shortening of her name by the kid, they were standing in a kitchen that was surprisingly spacious for the size of the cottage, clearly it was somewhat of a passion for the brunette now sweeping throughout the room and gathering ingredients from various cupboards in order to make their breakfast.
"Hells yeah kid," she exclaimed not noticing the small smile on full lips as she was too focused on the wide eyes of her son, "I'm the pancake flipping master!" He laughed as she wiggled her eyebrows at him before a devious smirk took over his features.
"Prove it."
"Uh…come again?"
Henry laughed at her expression, "you heard me, prove it."
Pressure was not something that Emma dealt well with and Regina could sense that, time to play. "Yes Miss Swan, I sure would like to see some pancake flipping mastery…"
Her mouth fell open in a small O shape as she took in the mischievous glint in deep brown eyes staring at her challengingly. Well, she wasn't going down without a fight, "Okay," she retorted, "make the mix and I'll have you swooning in no time Miss Mills." Did she just flirt with the mother of her son?
Was Emma Swan flirting with her? "I do hope you can make good on your challenge, wouldn't want you looking foolish now would we dear?" Was she flirting back?
Henry's head was swinging between the pair as though he was watching a tennis match of banter before him, he couldn't help but smile at the interaction.
As soon as the mix was ready and the pan heated, Regina passed the spatula over to a now nervous looking blonde as she stepped away to give the woman the space she needed. She was highly competent at flipping pancakes but she just wasn't comfortable with the stares of the other two in the room, she had to do this right otherwise she would just look like an idiot and that would not do.
When she was sure the underside of the pancake was cooked just enough, she tilted the pan handle upwards and shook lightly to ensure the batter wasn't sticking to the surface. When she was sure it was loose and ready, she took a deep breath and flicked upwards. Henry's gasp was audible as the breakfast food flipped smoothly in the air and landed back into the pan.
"That was awesome!" he exclaimed as Regina nodded her approval to the smiling blonde, she had done it, she had managed to impress them…though which Mills she was happier about impressing was not evident.
"You ain't seen nothing yet kid."
The rest of breakfast went surprisingly well, Henry kept the conversation going nicely with questions for both his mother and Emma which they both answered cordially and regarded each other civilly thought neither could put a finger as to what they were feeling whenever their eyes would lock over their son's head.
Something had been bothering Henry since Emma had revealed her talent for pancake flipping, something in the back of his mind telling him that he was missing something very big…
They can…flip pancakes in the air
Where had he read that before?
They will be marvellously kind
…the spell book! His mother's true love spell! What else did it say?
They can ride a pony backwards.
"Hey Em?" he didn't know how the women didn't pick up on the excitement in his voice, but then again he had been hyped up since finding that Emma had stayed in town for a little longer so she supposed he sounded no different. When she looked at him in encouragement to continue, he asked something that would surely set him off on another mission but one of a completely different nature, "can you ride horses?"
She looked taken aback by the randomness of the question but smiled all the same and nodded, "yeah kid, horses, ponies…" when Regina looked at her in confusion she supposed she should explain, they had already spoken of Emma's childhood growing up in the foster system so to hear that she had lived for a while with a family that lived on a ranch came as no surprise to Regina and Henry. "They were great, taught me a hell of a lot and how to ride like a pro," she winked once again at Henry and laughed at Regina's feigned look of disinterest.
"Can you ride a pony backwards?" the brunette's heart skipped a beat at the words her son had just uttered, she looked at him with puzzlement all over his face, he couldn't know what he was saying could he? "It's just that…one of my friends say their Dad can ride a pony backwards and I don't believe it can be done…"
He had noticed the way his mother's eyes were burning into him and knew he couldn't show his hand too early, if she knew what he was doing she could close off and then the progress of the morning would be lost.
"Yeah, I can ride backwards, sideways, any way you want kid." Her grin grew at the wonderment in his eyes though she could not know that it was for a different reason than she thought.
"My Mom's really good at riding," Henry smiled whilst looking at the blush creeping across Regina's features, she never blushed and he was old enough to understand what that could mean, "she's the best I've ever seen…" and if both women didn't hear the challenge their son raised then both needed their ears checking.
"Is that so?" Emma questioned good naturedly whilst locking eyes with Regina, "hmm…how's about you show me just how good you are Miss Mills?"
The brunette cocked an eyebrow in response to the blonde and studied her for a few moments more, she could practically feel the heat radiating from her son as he bounced in his seat in anticipation of her answer…what could the harm be?
"I hope you're ready to see how a true professional does it Miss Swan." And with that she rose from the dining room table to which they had moved after breakfast and headed for the front door with Henry hurriedly following behind leaving Emma only to stare after her with a strange sense of excitement at what was about to unfold.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world Regina…"
